Grounds For Appeal

Closed. They should have been better at being open during the Metra rush hour crowds and offered to go coffee

Grounds For Appeal, located on Oak Park Ave in Berwyn, across the street from MacNeal & about half a block from the Metra station, is about as unassuming as you can get for a coffeeshop.
Though there are some sodas and juices available, the focus is on coffee & coffee drinks. There’s no food to speak of, barring the free generic cookies & a smattering of pre-​packaged snacks. The coffee itself is fairly meh, and most drinks are overpriced because of it.
The décor is bizarre — «eclectic» is the nicest way of saying it, but to be honest I felt like I was in my mother’s basement or I stumbled upon a neighborhood garage sale. And although there’s free WiFi, I couldn’t get a solid connection for my mobile device.
What makes this place worth going to, is that its a local hang-​out for old hippies and folkies, with frequent free music from local artists in the folk, roots, bluegrass, blues, and traddie genres. Go on a music night & have a soda — its a fine way to relax away an evening.

Very poor coffee. Horrible décor. Cozy? No way. There is no effort of planning in the way it looks. It feels like I’m in a second hand store.
But I digress. when we speak of coffee shops, nothing matters as much as… the quality of the coffee. Not good… not good at all.

I am not too sure about this one. The coffee is alright (I’m poor right now so I can’t speak for the espresso), the décor is not contemporary unless you think decorating a space like grandma would contemporary, and who I am assuming is the owner rubbed me a bit the wrong way my first visit, second visit was meh. When I first went in she had just opened for the day. I pull out my stainless steel keeps coffee hot for a few hrs mug, put it on the counter and ask for a drip coffee. She gives me this cold stare and asks (in a tone of what the hell is that) in there? I was shocked! If I hadn’t needed coffee so darn bad I would have said no I want the coffee in a to go cup and my mug full of shit please. But I bit my tongue. Like I said I have been back since, once and it was alright. I don’t know if I will be back honestly. I don’t need my coffee shops to be all hipsterfied but I do like some décor that is from this decade, not being questioned when I use my own mug (which btw i am saving her money by doing so), and a decent cup of coffee, which she barely achieves. I know darn good coffee being from Seattle (which has three of the best roasters in the country) and this is not very good coffee despite what others may have said.

I’ve been to Grounds for Appeal twice now, and have to nominate it as the coziest little coffeehouse I’ve ever stumbled upon.
Couches? Check.
Books? Shelves full of ‘em.
Random memorabilia? Sure.
Random personas? Well there is a psychic onsite every Wednesday.
Décor? Grandma’s house meets John Madden’s bus.
There you have it. A motley crew of kitsch and comfort.
You have to try a specialty espresso drink– Wendy the owner has dreamed up some culinary coffee concoctions that are absolutely delightful. Think caramel apple or raspberry walnut just to name a few… but with fun names, natch.
Oh, and did I mention there’s gelato?
Vintage awesomeness… go!

Coffee = Excellent
Service = Pretty Darn Good
I walked in to a line 6 or 7 customers deep; made it thru the line, paid, and had hot cup of java in hand in under 2 minutes. This is a GREAT thing to find in a coffee shop. Have been back multiple times and have had similar, excellent experiences.
Grounds For Appeal does make some great mixed and specialty coffee drinks; I find their house brews to be the best choices on the menu because they are simple, flavorful, and very affordable.

Dealing with a close loved one whom is battling cancer this modest albeit very impressively decorated coffee shop comes to be a sort of refuge from the daily barrage of tests and radiation, and chemotherapy associated withe fight many have fought against this disease.
Situated close to the hospital it offered a cozy and warm environment, I have never really associated any other coffee shop with until I stepped into this one.
It reminds me of my friends grandmother’s house in my adolescences, but this one serves a good, inexpensive cup of coffee to it’s visitors. Stepping inside we were greeted by Wendy with warm salutations and an open hearth mentality. We placed our order for a modest two cups of coffee and some snacks and were promptly served. Handing us the warm cups she told us to «make our selves at home». While I did not ake this literally and kept both my shirt and socks on, it was taken as a warm greeting of «hello». I believe in owning a coffee shop across the street from a large hospital she probably runs into grieving families of sick patients. Their only desire for a small respite to rest their thoughts and gather them over a hot cup of coffee. If this indeed was her intention, I must «thank you». Thank you for giving a a place void of corporate icons and expensive garbage, and for offering us a small quiet place to gather and enjoy a good cup of coffee while helping our family member battle this terrible disease.
thank you, Ground fro Appeal

I’ve been meaning to go back here. I had a capuccino con leche at it was good! The place is pretty big, nice and cozy. The middle section has a bunch of 80’s vhs tapes and a vcr and a living room set to sit back and enjoy a movie. I could really see myself going here to read and have a cup of coffee.
I think I’m going to go back tomorrow to try one of her seasonal brews.

It feels like I’ve stepped into a country craft shop that just happens to have a full espresso bar.
Very quiet and unassuming, the space seems quite large on the inside. Try the Cuban double espresso.